I am a big fan of Claire Allan so was excited to get this book accepted on netgalley! It follows the anniversary reporting of a child murder in a small town and the fallout from it 25 years on. Ingrid is trying to write a book on the convicted murderer but it all goes horribly wrong. It's easy to read and full of twists, and that ending 😱 Not what I was expecting at all.....totally thought it was all sewn up! If you are a fan of twisty thrillers then this will be right up your street so go buy it ❤

Unfortunately I could not get into this book and did not finish it. Other readers may enjoy this more.

When I picked up Ask No Questions, I had never read anything by Claire Allan before, but had heard a lot of good things, and now I can see why!

The beginning of the story really grabs you, in a way that I didn’t expect. I was instantly hooked, and desperate to continue the story. It starts with the discovery of Kelly’s body, and the grim details of how she was found. The author really paints a horrifying picture, before jumping forwards in time to the present day with the next chapter, to where journalist Ingrid Devlin is searching the local paper’s archives for anything she can find on Kelly’s disappearance, and leaving you reeling from the previous chapter.

Following Ingrid’s journey to find the truth was certainly an exciting, and thrilling ride. There were obstacles, and danger at every turn, and the pacing of the story really keeps you on your toes. The fact that Ingrid was so close to the story she was investigating made it feel so much more real and emotional, you can imagine the mental struggles she would have gone through along the way, and you can see the constant battle that she was fighting with herself about whether she was doing the right thing.

There were some interesting character’s in the story. Ingrid in particular was a favourite of mine. She is a fantastic protagonist. She’s brave, and compassionate, and she’s not afraid of putting herself in danger to do the right thing. I also felt incredibly sorry for the Doherty family, and I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a child, I honestly don’t think I would be able to carry on.

I had my suspicions along the way as to what had happened to Kelly, but nothing prepared me for the awful truth. This was an ending that I never predicted, and it was a brilliant way to wrap up the story, leaving no loose ends behind.

There were points in the story that were incredibly emotional, and were quite difficult to read, but that shows just shows the talent that Claire Allan has for truly making you feel every word. Ask No Questions is a fast paced, exciting thriller, and was better than I had ever expected. I will certainly be reading more by the author in the future!

A huge thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

I give Ask No Questions a 5 star rating!

Claire Allan's most recent thriller is set in Derry in both 2019 and 1994. In 1994, the body of a young girl, Kelly Doherty, was found three days after she went missing on Halloween night. The two narrators, Ingrid Devlin and Declan Heaney, both experienced the event in different ways. Declan, along with his twin brother Niall, discovered the body of the young girl, whilst Ingrid knew Kelly. Arrests were made after the discovery and a local man, Jamsie Harte, was sent to prison but there's always been doubt about his involvement in the murder. The community was shocked by the event and it took a long time before parents were comfortable letting their children out to play again.

The brothers' relationship is an important focus of the book as both reacted very differently to finding Kelly's body and their adult lives go in very different paths. And, although they were close up to that point, their collective experience fractures their relationship. Niall is a successful teacher whilst Declan relies on drugs and crime.

Ingrid Devlin remembers that night and how it impacted the community. She is now a successful reporter and is writing an anniversary piece on Kelly's death. She was about the same age as Kelly has has always wondered if she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the chance to interview Jamsie Harte arises, Ingrid accepts. However, Ingrid is being followed and threatened by someone who knows she's writing about the case.

Ask No Questions is certainly an entertaining thriller but it also shows the lasting consequences that violent acts can have on a community and the paranoia and trauma that can linger. All of Allan's books that I've read focus on these long-lasting consequences and show that trauma affects people differently and for a very long time after the event.

An interesting storyline where the author had me hooked from the very beginning. The suspense started off well with the writing giving a sense of danger. Emotions were high as the killer was closer to being unmasked. Overall, it was a fun read.

Oh my goodness. This had me gripped from start to end. The story pieces falling into place are well done and not contrived or unrealistic, yet I didn't guess everything that was going to happen. Recommended.

This was very good. I found the story to be interesting, the setting was different and the main characters well described. Recommended.

This author is becoming a favorite and I loved this creepy, gripping and well written story.
Great atmosphere and characters, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I absolutely love Claire Allan and I think this is her best thriller yet. Couldn’t put it down. So great to have her flying the flag for female authors from Northern Ireland.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Ask No Questions’ is the fifth book by Northern Ireland author Claire Allan and like her previous books, it’s set in the busy city of Derry where tragedy has broken the hearts of its residents.

Twenty-five years ago, on Halloween night, eight-year-old Kelly Doherty went missing while out trick or treating with friends. Her body was found three days later, floating face down, on the banks of the Creggan Reservoir by two of her young classmates. It was a crime that rocked Derry to the core. Journalist Ingrid Devlin is investigating – but someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. As she digs further, Ingrid starts to realise that the Doherty family are not as they seem. But will she expose what really happened that night before it’s too late?

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of investigative journalist Ingrid Devlin, who’s investigating the murder of 8 year old Kelly Doherty who died 25 years ago. On her anniversary, there’s still many unanswered questions about the little girl’s death but Ingrid is determined to find the answers even if it puts her own life at risk and meeting people that were suspected to be the main suspects.

Claire has developed a great skill of really setting the tone in her Northern Ireland thrillers, she’s takes the readers away from the Troubles and delves into something more darker and sinister and that is the death of an innocent child. Interestingly, the main suspect, was another innocent creature, a man who was a bit quiet, strange and who lived with his mammy, so this instantly made him culpable.

Her writing of this character is sympathetic and poignant, as his life was ruined by society believing that he killed a little girl. Whilst, I found Ingrid to be a hard character, although she was on mission for justice and to finally solve the mystery, I found that she wouldn’t stop at anything to get her byline even if that meant upsetting people along the way. But, as she delves deeper and deeper into the past, her determination only grows even though a fear is growing.

The story is also seen from the narrative from of another character called Declan Heaney, a school friend of Ingrid’s who’s never recovered from discovering Kelly’s body. His life has been blighted by bad decisions and hopes with Ingrid’s help to finally put the past to rest.

Claire writes a great thriller and they are also so easy to get caught up in. For me part of the reason, is the local angle with the locations, culture and dialogue that makes her books so easily absorbed.

A tense story that pulls the reader in, ‘Ask No Questions’ is a well paced thriller filled with twists and secrets that will hook the reader until the final page.

You can buy ‘Ask No Questions’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

I’m a huge fan of Claire’s writing so was excited to read Ask No Questions. The setting was fantastic and the characters extremely realistic as usual. It was gripping and heartbreaking, with the scenes really depicting the loss of Little Kelly and how it had impacted a whole community. It was another enjoyable read, however I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have Claire’s other works. I didn’t really like Ingrid which is important for me when reading a thriller. The pace was slow at times and the writing didn’t flow as easily as it usually does. I also found the ending anticlimactic and disappointing. So overall this was just a solid average read for me.

On the anniversary of the murder of a local child, journalist Ingrid decides to investigate when the newly released convicted murderer professes his innocence. She finds a web of lies and secrets. The chilling undercurrent of this suspenseful story intensifies as the investigation progresses.

The multi-viewpoints give the reader omnipotent knowledge of events, but how reliable are the protagonists? The characters are flawed and relatable the story is noir and poignant and keeps you guessing until the twisty conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An absolutely refreshing read, having been familiar with Northern Ireland due to my sister living there, I got to familiarise myself with places I knew versus a disturbing and tragic murder in 1994 of local school girl, Kelly Doherty.

I have been consumed within the walls of this story, I really didn't want to finish it because I enjoyed it so much, but I did at the same time so I could give justice to the author on such a great and thrilling story.

I have to say the suspense on this one had me and I loved every minute of it, I love the suspicion, the cleverly written who done it and the edge of my seat which I became all far to familiar with, Ingrid Devlin certainly has a lot of gumption, I will give her that, after being sent to do a fluff piece of the anniversary of Kelly's death, she soon gets invested in the story that affected her since she was ten years old, even though her editor, Ryan Murray at The Chronicle never asked her to dig so deep, she figures she will ask the questions that she would like answers too, and just add these later if it throws anything up, though, not quite protocol, Ingrid goes as far as asking the Heaney brothers who found Kelly's body, but it's not long before Ingrid's poking about is met with a sharp warning and a reminder from herself that she needs to get to the bottom of Kelly's death before she's next in line.

The author really socked it to the reader on this, there is some good quality writing and even though the book flits between time zones, that didn't really phase me, but this author had the emotions in this book down to a tee.

I'm definitely going to check out anything more by this author, this book was delicious!

Many thanks to Claire Allan, Netgalley and publishers, for providing me with the free ARC for an honest review.

Great story. Untangling childhood memories and trying to make sense of the incomprehensible with the troubled as the omnipresent backdrop reaching into the future. I just really really disliked Ingrids character which was a bit of a problem.

Wow…I read this book in one sitting. I just could not put it down. Claire Allen never disappoints, that’s why she is one of my favourite authors.

A twisty thriller with a fantastic plot and well developed characters with each page bringing new revelations. I was completely gripped and lost in the story. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it took a different turn.

Ingrid Devlin, a journalist in Derry is reporting on the 25th anniversary of the murder of local 8-year-old, Kelly Doherty. However, the story is personal for Ingrid, as she was there trick or treating that night too. Ingrid finds herself being increasingly drawn into an investigation that goes deeper than she could have imagined but someone isn’t happy with her digging up the past… who and why?

A fast paced, tense, brilliant read.

I love Claire's writing and this book didnt disappoint. There were lots of twists along the way, and an ending I didn't see coming. A great read

Twenty-five years ago, on Halloween night, eight-year-old Kelly Doherty went missing while out trick or treating with friends. Her battered and bloated body was found three days later, floating face down, on the banks of the Creggan Reservoir by two of her young classmates - Declan and Niall.

A crime which shook Derry to the core, changed lives and left hearts shattered is about to be re-told. We meet Journalist Ingrid Devlin, a child herself at the time of the murder, something she remembers vividly. Ingrid is meant to be writing a heartwarming piece, a tribute to Kelly, but being a Journalist, that also means investigating - with it comes a whole heap of trouble and a string of warning for Ingrid to leave well alone.

As Ingrid continues to dig, she unearths news and starts to realise that not everyone are they seem. Will Ingrid find the truth before it’s too late?

A great plot with lots of twists and turns. A whodunnit story with an unexpected ending, patchy in parts with what happens to Ingrid and Jamesy, but I read it in just over a day!

I love everything Claire writes this one was no different, a fantastic book which I read in one sitting, loved it, a cracker once again 😃

I love Claire Allen's books so I was so excited to read this one and was delighted when Netgalley approved my request for it.

This is a book about 'righting a wrong'.
Twenty five years ago eight year old Kelly Doherty went missing went missing, and her body was found three days later by two of her classmates. Ingrid Devlin-a journalist is investigating, however someone doesn't want her to find out the truth. As she digs further she realises that the Doherty family are not as they seem.

I genuinely thought early on as I was reading this that I had it figured out, but yeah I was wrong like way wrong. I was completely thrown for a loop when everything was revealed and didn't see it coming at all. It was sort of like being blindsided by a truck, I actually had a total what the hell just happened moment?? Did I read this right?? Oh I loved it there were so many twists, I was literally on the edge of my seat biting my nails from start to finish. It was a dark and chilling story that I was unable to put down and loved.

5/5 stars for this absolutely superb read.

My fourth read by Claire Allan was just as enthralling as the other three.

In Ask No Questions it's Halloween in 1994 and eight-year-old Kelly Doherty, aged 8, is out trick or treating with friends when she vanishes. Later, twin boys Declan and Niall Heaney discover her body and this leads to the conviction of Jamesy Harte, though he protests his innocence. Moving on to the present, and journalist Ingrid is researching the details of the murder with her eye on publishing a book. But someone isn't keen on her investigating the past...

This was an excellent, darkly plotted novel from Claire Allan and I relished every moment of it. The story is told from both timescales, 1994 and 2019 and from the perspectives of Ingrid and Declan. The author's characterisation is very good and Ingrid's input helps the reader to build a clear picture of the story. The grief of Bernie and Liam (Kelly's parents) is movingly portrayed and the way Kelly's murder affected the community of the Creggan estate and Derry in Ireland was well conveyed. As the story unfolded the tension gradually intensified and I enjoyed trying to figure out whether or not there had been a miscarriage of justice in this taut and gritty tale, a task made difficult by the unreliability of the narrators. Ask No Questions is a terrific read which will certainly appeal to fans of Claire Allan and I would recommend it to everyone.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.